Speech by Vincent van Neerbos on May 4

Commemorate

We remember those who fell victim to violence and oppression during the war years. These are the darkest pages in our history, a time when people showed their worst side.  
It is unimaginable that of the 140,000 Jewish Dutch citizens living in our country in May 1940, 101,800 were murdered or died of disease and exhaustion in concentration camps. Some of them with the help or at the behest of their fellow countrymen.  
War is a time of hatred, misery, and horror. The darkest days, in which sometimes a ray of hope can be found. An act of resistance.  

The story of the war is also largely about ordinary people like you and me who tried to make the best of unusual and sometimes difficult circumstances. The story of Maas and Waal is about a liberation that was not accompanied by peace. We were liberated by the Allies in September 1944, but then formed the front line until May 1945. Most of the casualties occurred during those months.
Those months left the deepest scars, which some of you can still feel today.

Perhaps you have memories of those days yourself. Or perhaps you have heard from your parents or grandparents how great the fear was when the sound of a V1 rocket could be heard, the feeling of uncertainty in air-raid shelters. Or the sadness of missing a loved one. 
The feeling of loss is something we can all imagine. Unfair, unjust, infuriating, and powerless. 

The sadness and powerlessness are still palpable today, because we remember them. Those fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, and children who died during the war years. And the soldiers and resistance fighters who gave their lives for the freedom of others. Back in '40-'45 and now during peacekeeping operations around the world. They are all someone's daughter, they are someone's son. 

We cannot imagine what making such sacrifices actually means. Putting your life on the line, risking everything to protect someone else. Fighting and dying for a greater good: for freedom and peace. So let's not take the freedom and peace we have for granted. A price has been paid for it. 
Because now more than ever, it is important that we do not close our eyes to what is happening in the world. In Ukraine.  

We see polarization increasing. It is not our similarities, but our differences that are widely reported in the news and on social media. Let us work together to create a world in which peace and freedom are a given for everyone. Let us not look away, but actively contribute to creating a better world for us all. 

We do this by commemorating and reflecting. We commemorate our fallen, the people who paid the ultimate price for peace. And we express our gratitude to them. They will remain forever in our memories and in our hearts.

Vincent van Neerbos
Mayor